A resource and blog for citizens from all over the country who are interested in martial arts, fitness, self-defense, or just being active.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Body Maintenance

I have some aches and pains these days, and last week I had a bunch of them. From my back hurting after 50 squats with 185#, to just being overall sore. My shoulder likes to act up now and then, because I separated it playing football almost ten years ago. I have arthritis in my knees and flat feet, and levo-convex scoliosis, which, near as I can tell, means my tailbone slants to the left instead of being straight.

That said, as I was telling some people a few weeks ago, I no longer believe that injuries have to slow a person down. They might slow you down for a little while, but I firmly believe that an inclusive fitness regimen that involves strength training and stretching can work wonders.

A person can and probably should go to a massage therapist regularly, especially if they are engaging in hard training.

However, there are also things we can do at home, and tools that can be used by ourselves. I use some of these things regularly, and it makes a huge difference in the soreness I feel and the range of motion I have.

I personally use some of these tools almost every day trying to recover for the next workout.

As an example, I participated in a CrossFit competition back in December. It was rough, it was brutal, it destroyed my lower back. I used my roller briefly at the end of every event, and when Monday rolled around, I walked into the gym and squatted a new personal best, despite the soreness. I also had a much easier time walking around the next few days than everyone else, and my soreness went away a lot sooner. The stuff works.

The man knows his stuff, pure and simple, and he's got a very simple approach to improving performance. Plus, once I got the hang of what he does and why, I've been able to address my issues on my own. For example, after a week with heavy shoulder workouts, I had very little range of motion in the shoulder that I separated. Coincidentally, there was a post on the Mobility WOD about shoulder mobility. I took some notes, went to the gym for the next week and did the exercises every day, before, after, and sometimes during the workout. I now have probably 99% of my range of motion(ROM) in my right shoulder, pain free.

Give this stuff a try, I urge you. See what a difference it can make in your own training.